When is Technology Center Director approval required for rejecting claims copied from a patent?
Technology Center Director approval is required when rejecting claims copied from a patent if the ground of rejection is also applicable to the corresponding claims in the patent. MPEP 706.06 states:
“If the ground of rejection is also applicable to the corresponding claims in the patent, any Office action including the rejection must have the approval of the Technology Center Director.”
This additional level of review ensures that rejections that could potentially impact the validity of an issued patent are carefully scrutinized before being applied to new applications.
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